Dr. Alexander “Alex” Zakhidov, an associate professor in the Department of Physics, passed away on June 15. 
Zakhidov joined the university faculty in 2014 as an assistant professor where he worked in the area of organic semiconductors with applications in photonics.
Throughout his time at the university, Zakhidov mentored undergraduate and graduate students along with postdoctoral fellows. In 2020, Zakhidov was promoted as an associate professor. 
“Alex will be missed for his good nature and enthusiasm for everything he did. At the same time, we are grateful for the few years we enjoyed together as colleagues,” says Department of Physics Chair Mark Holtz in a statement. 
Zakhidov taught courses related to optics, quantum mechanics as well as his thin-films laboratory course. His research has been published in over 65 peer-reviewed publications. 
Zakhidov attended Moscow State University where he completed his undergraduate and doctoral work. He completed research at Cornell University as a Humboldt Fellow at Technische Universität in Dresden. 
Zakhidov is survived by his wife and young daughter. The department will provide a link to a “Celebration of Life” memorial gathering, organized by his family, sometime in July. The memorial will be held jointly in Dallas and Austin. 
The Department of Physics will host its own celebration in the fall semester at a time to be announced. Photos of Zakhidov can be emailed to [email protected].